Getty The Falcons have signed former Georgia safety Shawn Williams to their active roster.
The Atlanta Falcons made a flurry of moves on Tuesday, including signing former Georgia Bulldog star safety, Shawn Williams.
Williams was originally signed to the practice squad back in October, but after being promoted the last two games he was set to hit the waivers, which would have exposed him to other teams.
We have made the following roster moves:
– Activated Cornell Armstrong and Quinton Bell from the reserve/COVID-19 list
– Signed Chad Hansen to the practice squad
– Signed Shawn Williams from the practice squad to the active roster
– Released Will Sunderland
The other moves Atlanta made included, activating cornerback Cornell Armstrong and edge Quinton Bell from the practice squad’s reserve/COVID-19 list, signing wide receiver Chad Hansen and releasing defensive back Will Sunderland.
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Falcons Lose Starting Safety to Season-Ending Injury
After racking up 64 tackles and 8 passes defended through 13 games this season, Falcons starting safety Erik Harris was forced to undergo season-ending surgery on his pectoral.
Williams was elevated against the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers due to Harris’s absence. Just last week, he saw 10 snaps on defense and 19 snaps on special teams against the Niners where he earned himself an impressive Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade or 70.
Williams joins the Falcons 53-man roster after playing in the league for eight years. He was initially drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. He was a primary starter from 2015-2019 before settling in as a backup for the remainder of his time in Cincy. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals ahead of this season but failed to make the final roster cut.
Through eight seasons, he has 12 career interceptions and has 424 career tackles. It’s also notable to add that he’s not too far off of his best days as he recorded over 100 tackles in back-to-back seasons, 2018 and 2019.
Prior to entering the league, Williams spent four years at Georgia (2009-2012) where he tallied 209 tackles (131 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, four interceptions and one sack.
He joins T.J. Green, Jaylinn Hawkins, Richie Grant and Duron Harmon at the safety spot where he will compete for some action.
Falcons Add Former Jets Pick
The Falcons also signed wide receiver Chad Hansen to the practice squad.
Hansen went in the fourth round of the 2017 draft to the New York Jets, but never made a name for himself. He hasn’t played in a regular game since 2020 with the Houston Texans, recording 17 catches on 24 targets for 236 yards and a touchdown. Before making his way to Atlanta, he also spent time with the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions.
Hansen has a real shot at proving himself with the Falcons since they are in need of receivers. With the unknown status of Calvin Ridley playing in 2022 and their current receivers struggling to live up to standards, they will be looking for new talent to sign to the active roster. Not to mention that their cap space situation will keep them limited so being able to develop the talent they already have and sign from within could save them a lot of money to use on other needs.
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